It is an inevitable aspect of golf that the occasional shot will land in a location where it is impossible to not only hit a recovery shot, but where it may be extremely difficult to even retrieve the ball. For example, it is very difficult to retrieve balls partially buried in mud, weeds or rocks at the bottom of a pond, river or other water hazards. Balls may also be located in casual water or some other wet or muddy location where it would be inconvenient or messy to walk through.
The traditional golf ball retriever is a cone or basket, usually constructed of coiled wire, aluminum, plastic or die-cast material, fixed to the end of a telescoping rod. Such a device is used to "scoop" the ball out of a water hazard. This is easily accomplished if the ball is visible in the water and is readily accessible. These traditional retrievers are, however, limited in certain respects. First, the cone or basket is somewhat bulky so that retrieving balls from intricate locations between rocks or in long grass can be very challenging and time-consuming. Second, the cone or basket of the traditional retriever is usually lightweight and flimsy. This structure is sufficient to retrieve balls simply sitting on a pond bottom, but is wholly inadequate to dig for balls partially or almost entirely buried in mud. This is particularly the case where the telescoping rod is fully extended, providing the user with little leverage to dig the ball out from a distance. Third, the traditional retriever requires that the cone or basket be maintained in an upright position after the ball is retrieved. Unfortunately, this is not always possible and a slight twisting of the basket will cause the retrieved ball to be dropped and the whole procedure will need to be repeated. Finally, due to the presence of an intervening object, such as a rock, lying immediately in front of a ball and between the user and the ball, it is not always possible to "scoop" a wayward golf ball ("scooping" refers to placing the retriever underneath the golf ball and lifting upwardly). Instead, the golf ball could only be retrieved if it was "raked" (meaning that the user places the retriever over the top of the ball and pulls it towards him or herself). Due to the fixed, open configuration of the cone or basket, it is not possible to retrieve balls by raking with the traditional retriever.
Several attempts have been made to address the deficiencies of the traditional golf ball retriever. One style of retriever consists of a rigid handle connected to a plurality of resilient or flexible wires bent in such a way as to form an opening between the wires which is slightly smaller than the diameter of a golf ball. The retriever is placed over the top of a golf ball and downward pressure is applied, causing the wires to yield slightly, allowing the golf ball to enter the opening. After the ball has entered, the wires return to their original positions, encircling the ball for retrieval. U.S. Pat. No. 2,448,644 (issued Sep. 7, 1948 to Williams), U.S. Pat. No. 2,482,294 (issued Sep. 20, 1948 to Sandor), U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,134 (issued Mar. 1, 1988 to Allen), U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,466 (issued Jan. 11, 1994 to Wall) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,145 (issued Jul. 5, 1994 to Lee) are retrievers of this style. While these retrievers firmly hold a retrieved ball, thus addressing the concern that traditional retrievers may drop balls upon a slight twisting from an upright position, they have deficiencies of their own. Due to the shape of these retrievers, it is not possible to dig a buried (partial or otherwise) ball out of mud or retrieve a ball found between rocks. Additionally, due to the necessity for the application of downward pressure to utilize these retrievers, scooping a golf ball is not possible.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,519, issued Nov. 19, 1996 to Mansbridge, embodies another attempt to address the deficiencies of the traditional golf ball retriever. Mansbridge illustrates in FIGS. 9, 14 and 18 and describes a holder consisting of a frame (which may be U-shaped) with wire-like containment element(s) rigidly attached thereto. The wire containment element defines a central catchment section, the diameter of which is such to allow a golf ball to sit therein for retrieval. This positioning, along with the presence of the frame, prevents the ball from being dropped upon slight twisting of the holder. However, more abrupt twisting would allow the ball to escape the central catchment section and mouth formed thereby. Additionally, it is not possible to retrieve a ball by raking with Mansbridge, should that be necessary.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,374, issued Nov. 20, 1973 to D'Luhy, on the other hand, describes a retriever which can be used for raking, but which is inadequate for scooping. D'Luhy describes a retriever consisting of a double-ended hook pivotally secured to a telescoping rod. The double-ended hooks are spaced apart a distance so that a golf ball is engaged when the hooks are raked from behind (relative to the user) the ball. As noted above, D'Luhy can only be used to rake a golf ball. This is insufficient for situations where a ball has come to rest immediately adjacent a rock or other obstacle, leaving no room for raking the hooks behind the ball.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a simple, reliable and effective golf ball retriever that is capable of both scooping and raking a golf ball out of a variety of locations.